Kovalev returns to Bell Centre Tuesday night

The Canadiens will be back in action Tuesday night when former Hab Alex Kovalev and the Florida Panthers visit the Bell Centre.

The Panthers signed the 39-year-old Kovalev to a one-year contract on Friday and he scored a goal and added two assists Saturday in a season-opening 5-1 win over the Carolina Hurricanes. Kovalev’s linemate, 19-year-old Jonathan Huberdeau, also had a goal and two assists. The centre on their line is Peter Mueller, the eighth overall pick at the 2006 NHL entry draft, who picked up an assist.

“You can tell he’s a talented kid,” Kovalev told The Associated Press about Huberdeau, the No. 3 pick at the 2001 NHL draft. “He’s really patient with the puck. He can hold on to it. Pretty strong on his feet and it’s really fun to play with a player of that type. You know if you give it to him, you’ll get the puck back. You’re not worried about helping him out. He’s strong enough to make the plays. That makes the job easier.”

About himself, Kovalev said: “I can still stickhandle. I can still skate. I can still make plays. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be here. I’d be wasting my time and someone else’s time. I know I can match anybody in this locker room. I can still play this game. That’s why I’m here.”

You can watch Kovalev and the Panthers in action Monday night when they visit the Ottawa Senators at 7:30 p.m. on RSE and RDS before heading to Montreal to face the Habs Tuesday in a 7:30 p.m. start.

Tickets for the 22 Canadiens’ remaining home games after Tuesday went on sale Sunday and a team official told The Gazette’s Brenda Branswell they were selling at a similar pace as last year.

Some games are sold out, said Donald Beauchamp, the Canadiens’ senior vice- president, communications and community relations. There were still some tickets available for a number of games, Beauchamp said late Sunday afternoon. For more ticket info, click here.

The question Canadiens fans are asking is how many games will unsigned restricted free agent P.K. Subban play for the Canadiens.

Writes Jack Todd in his Monday Morning Quarterback column:

“Sunday, while his teammates were recovering from a bruising loss to Toronto, Subban was in T.O., taking in the Lakers game from the front row. The Lakers need all the help they can get — but the Canadiens need Subban more.”

Todd adds: “Does it matter that Subban is still unsigned? Well, for you Tomas Kaberle fans (both of you) it was great: Kaberle wasn’t all that bad. For those who hope the Canadiens will make you forget last season’s 15th-place finish with a playoff push, not so much.”

Read Dave Stubbs’s column on the opening-night loss and the pregame torch ceremony by clicking here.

Meanwhile, the San Jose Sharks are exploring the possibility of signing former Canadien Scott Gomez, who became an unrestricted free agent last week when the final two seasons of his seven-year, $51-million contract were bought out by the Canadiens.

“We look at it that he’s 33, he’s won two cups,” Sharks general manager Doug Wilson told the San Jose Mercury News. “A very versatile player.”

Gomez travelled to Calgary with the Sharks for their season-opening 4-1 win over the Flames on Sunday, but a decision on his future with San Jose might take another few days. Read more by clicking here.

1,119 Comments

A heads up to my fellow Habs fans in the Oakville/Burlington region who have Cogeco Cable as their provider. Finally they are providing RDS and TVA Sports in HD, this was quite a frustration for me the last few seasons which led to a number of calls from me to them.

I am anticipating this improved image should make our defence look much bigger, faster etc…

you may want to wait till next season for the HD. That was a tough game to watch on Saturday.

The sad part is the part of the game that really peeved me off was pleks snow showering the goalie and getting a penalty. Then looking at him trying to plead his case for his stupidity. He has a tendency to take really bad penalties.

As a leader on the team he should be setting a better example. He knows better

I haven’t had RDS activated yet- I know its only $6.95 a month but Rogers has Centre Ice free until Jan. 31 so i wait until then.
The only problem with Centre Ice is you get the opponents announcers who are notorious homers.
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“It’s just an opinion – I could be wrong”

I also find most of the center ice games (at least on Cogeco) are shown in reg. definition not Hi-Def. But it is nice to be able to channel surf throughout multiple games. They really should have made it free all year I think.

I know others that have Cogeco and they don’t a wide a range as Rogers.
VCR/EDM had the Sportsnet West feed.
Also saw parts of Stars/Wild and Hawks/’Yotes
______________________________________________________
“It’s just an opinion – I could be wrong”

Often it’s a result of the player trying to hard to get the first goal out of the way. Galchenyuk was a bit of a victim of this on Saturday. He took two shots that I believe were “bad shots” when he could have maintained possession of the puck longer and waited for a passing option or tried to continue driving wide to get himself closer to a scoring position.

There’s a new article on EOTP analyzing the value of Subban. There are stats which I skip to get the gist. One interesting point for me was that despite the fact that he takes a lot of penalties, he is very adept at drawing the other team into penalties. Interesting. This is the link to the site. It’s the top article right now.

I think the habs should get it over with and sign him, I cant see MB starting out his tenure by letting PK slip out, MB will never recover from it. I mean there are no hard questions about PK, its not like “Does he still have a few good years left?, Will he gel with the team?”

[Disclaimer]: I’m a hockey fan. I care about the habs, but probably not as much as you.

No one knows what the asking price is so you can’t just pay him whatever his agent is presently demanding. The GM must consider what P.K. is worth and how his salary will fit into the overall budget, especially with the new lower cap next season.

Thanks Jim for your words of concern. I’m more worried for my Mack. With no Internet and an engineering report due today, I think it’s gonna be a long day. Hockey hangover. I think I’ll go back to bed.

Kovalev!!!
He has been milking the NHL for years folks.
He is one of the most talented players that has ever played the game. And he is one of the smartest career farmers to continue milking NHL owners and separating them from their money as he mails in the rest of each signed contract.
His heart he leaves in Russia, his plane and his properties, and does just enough to keep his team mates from knocking his head off.
He does a great job of media control and says all the right things to keep fans from booing him right out of the rink.

One year at a time contracts and move on to the next sucker club will go on for a few more years yet.

In kovy’s defense I think he gets a bad rap. As a hab he played 4 seasons…. two at 65 points, one at 85 points and one year at 47….and everyone dogs him. As and example do you look at Gionta and say and question him for doggin it when his numbers are nowhere as good in his career? Even Kovy’s bad year in Ottawa had similar numbers to Gionta that year and they were making the same cash

He has a stanely cup ring, 7 seasons with over 20 goals, 8 seasons with over 60 points. Yes, he is inconsistent there is no doubt and he has insane skill that probably could have produced more but really that isn’t a bad NHL career. I think he will help out in Florida this season. The habs could have used him this year on the PP. It hasn’t been anywhere near what it was since he left

His talent level says his numbers should have been way better. Kovalev, like him or not, wasn’t interested more nights than not.
He could have been a top ten all time. Instead, he’s done what he’s done.

I agree he maybe could have done more Cal but my point is about perception. Gionta has 60 points in 93 playoff games Kovy has 100 points in 123. But Kovy is a slacker and lazy. I think he gets a worse rap than he played that is all. He def could have done more in certain games with his skill

I am not picking on gionta either he was just Kovy’s replacement that is why I chose to pick him as an example.

Our PP has not been the same since he left. Some was Markov obviously but Kovy’s shot from the circle was insane.

My take on Kovalev is on a poor team, he is checked into the ground making him look bad.

He will try to break the heavy attention by trying the low percentage play, like beating two players etc.

When it works and he gets clear, he can score a spectacular goal and be loved. When it fails he looks like he is trying to do it all himself. When he passes and the lesser talented player flubs it up, he takes the heat because he is the ‘name player’.

So you try to ride it out and look ordinary sometimes with a dash of spectacular. The fans then accuse you of not caring or trying and eventually you give them what they will accuse you of.

By the way he takes the heat quite well, with a shrug of indifference, some fans could learn something from him.

As for sports this weekend, it was mass suckitude! I’m not announcing anything regarding the Habs loss to the Laffs. Had the team played all three periods instead of just the third, they might have had a chance. I was thinking of poor burly in hostile territory. Probably nor humiliated than the rest of us. Speaking of which, Tom Brady was a shadow of himself in the second half yesterday as my Pats took a lesson in humility. Go Niners!

Good morning all. So this Monday morning starts as the weekend went. No Internet. So 3G it is for now. This way, if someone posts a nasty reply to mine, I can’t take it personally because there’s no phone app for HIO.
But I regress.
I would assume it was mentioned yesterday, but one of the classiest and professional sports journalists, Richard Garneau died yesterday. I was introduced to him in the late 70s by Dave Boxer, and you could almost see an aura of zen around him. My blessings to his family.

Like I have said many times on this site the past couple of years, do NOT get excited to where this team we assembled.
We still lack offense, a weak D, and need more bigger bodies and players with grit.
If I were Bergevin, make that blockbuster trade early to pay dividends in a couple of years, trade a Markov, Plekanec, Kaberle, Weber, Cole, and even Gionta and lets get something in return.
We all know this year will be another season of heartaches for the team and for the fans.
Optimistic is not a word to be used here.
But hey, welcome home Kovy!

Hey, buster, that was ‘Joe Friday’. The facts are it is the first game, still time to catch up. Losing happened to half the teams that played the first game. The key is to get better, no reason to think they won’t.

If they don’t get better “what are ya goin do”. Choices are stop watching, hope for the best, laugh, get drunk/stoned, kick the dog, break the television, get arrested/committed, eat your troubles away, go on a hockey sight (where they understand your agony), pay for sex/take it for free, see a shrink, talk to your paster/rev etc.,leave your wife/watch her leave, set yourself on fire, destroy something, lick a toad, or ……………just realize you have no say/control and the 50’s, 60’s,70’s are gone forever and bask in the past.

As will Plekanec, Gionta and others on our team who are supposed to put in offensive numbers, they will be invisible.
Funny how players produce big numbers, but after signing big, fat contracts, they decline in their offensive stat numbers.

One game leads to the second game which leads to the third game…etc…
Yes, the season has just started but we know what we need to improve this team and not start from the getgo being hopeful and optimistic as we have always done in the past.
Get er done Bergevin, make some splash trades now.
Don’t be another Bobby clone in Montreal and stay conservative.

It allows you freedom to sit around in your p.ja’s and bang away on your key board all morning if you want.

Happiness is a state of mind, and a full wallet, never forget that while you struggle with the hardships of watching hockey on your 60 inch screen with a nice cold one, and a honey waiting for the period to end so you can….get it on.

Habstrinifan, you have to realize that the 50’s, 60’s, 70’s are gone forever. The system does not allow a team to rise to the top and stay there. When your talent matures, if you get top draft choices, you lose them to the dollar.

As you rise up, the high draft choices disappear, until you fall and start the whole process again. The window closes quickly to win.

I predict the Canadiens will win the ‘Stanley Cup’ once in the next 20 years and finish in the finals once also. This will be the norm for all teams, with some not winning a cup at all.

If every team wins once, that is 30 teams, winning once in 30 years. All the cheering in the world will not change that reality.

Keep it real folks, you will be happier with lower expectations.

By the way, the players will win big time ($ good for them $), the owners in Montreal will win big time ($ good for them $). The fans will get what they pay for an experience, some excitement and hope.

The Panthers will have played the night before they play us and will not have had the benefit of a training camp to get in game shape. If the Habs get outworked in that game, there will simply be no excuses, as the team’s new motto says. Time to give back to the fans on the ice. Free hot-dogs don’t win games.

—————-
Me skull and crossbones arn’t the only thing I plan on raisin’ tonight.

Hopefully they come out with a little more fire tomorrow night. I have excluded AGally from my list until such a time that he’s returned to Sarnia. Also, alot of the US university stats were not updated on hockeydb.com (hangovers?) so you’ll find no change in some of them.

1) Hold out for the year, costing him a couple million dollars and indirectly assist the Habs into the high draft pick lottery again,

2) Sign a bridge contract, help the team fight for a playoff spot in a transition year,

3) Sign a qualifying offer with another team, forcing the Habs hand,

4) Wait until the Habs lose several much needed games then get signed for Doughty money (making the team miss the playoffs anyways and handcuff the Habs to deal from a position of weakness due to cap issues).

#4 isn’t going to happen with Montreal, but perhaps #3. PK still says he wants to play with the Habs. Thus far he’s demonstrated that to play for the Habs he needs more than what the Habs are offering.
Trades will have to be in the works, and it won’t necessarily be PK that gets moved.

No one is untouchable, but here goes. Gionta, Chucky, Gally, Price, Markov, Emelin, Patches, Cole. These are the untouchables.
Everyone else can be moved. Who knows what the Habs would get in return, though.

The P.K situation shows lack of foresight and … should have never gotten to this stage. Trading Pacs or Price or Gally or Patches (who is Chucky?) or Cole now would be jst as shortsighted. If they have to move P.K. (which I believe they have to do or have a sit down with the freakin room AND WITH P.K) then move some other assets.

Trini, I think we were going to end up in this position no matter what. And if PK wants to pursue this game of brinkmanship, then I’m ok with him moving on. As long as the return is Kane-like at forward or Weber, Shea-like on D.

Subban and M.B. will meet somewhere in the middle. Subban has sponsors to worry about Hyunda and Nike. He has money flowing in just like the ‘tiger’, but his image is the thing to worry about right now. He cannot be seen as just another greedy, entitled player.

How do you mean I am kidding Timo! I am not the greatest NFL fan .. go more for player sthan teams… I think this K. guy is unreal… like a bolt he has become the face of that organization and makes you want to watch the game. The other observation is how other players on his team are riding his coattails rather than bitching.

Ifthe offer is going to come, let it come early….Don´t you think between 5 and 6 million the team would have to match. One first round pick, unless it´s from pretty much the worse team in the league, and that is simply impossible to know especially in the shortened season, is not worth considering.

I compared the stats of the two is what i did when people said he (kovalev) is a garbage player. He had 3 good years in his 4 year tenure as a hab and his worsed year was better than any Gionta has had as a hab.

In all actuality as well the team has gone the other way since Gainey blew it up

New Gravatar activated. Should show up soon. Not my artwork but it sums up the state of affairs right now (glad the lockout is over, still not excited about this team or this bush league that treats me like a battered spouse, wish they’d sort out this PKS BS).

Writ large the current NHL product kinda sucks moose eggs. I had to switch from the Leafs/Habs to the NCAA D-1 U of Minnesota/North Dakota game after two. And, Don Cherry is just a blowhole when it comes to comparing major junior to US college hockey. In the last WJC, Canada had no excuses for not fielding its best under-20 squad. Phil Housley schooled the Canadian coach, but then again anyone with a modicum of hockey knowledge would have. Just freakin’ screen Subban and you’ll win. Also Don, do you really want to compare the jobs that NCAA D-1 guys get who don’t make the NHL to those Major Junior fellows? Crap, the former guys end up working on Wall Street, while your dudes end up driving freaking cabs!

Not really fair. The NCAA D-1 guys who don’t make the NHL generally leave with degrees. The Major Junior guys end up with a dick-all education. Not exactly what Goldman Sachs or JP Morgan is looking for!

The Habs are really going to need to stay out of the box in this one. They’re going to get lit up like a Christmas tree if they take penalties.

That being said, I’m happy for Kovy He’s a player that grows with confidence when he gets the spotlight and is accountable when he’s tasked with carrying the load. Well Kovy, you’ve got it now. Go for it.

Speaking of that type of player, but with youth and stellar work ethic, can Bergie sign Pernell Karl to an 8-year deal already?

I don’t normally bother with Habs Eyes On The Prize as its wears its anti-DD bias too proudly and never apologises for it (even after his great campaign last year)… but I completely agree with this piece:

Yep. If there was ever a reason to break the tradition of bridge contracts, it’s a minute eating, physical defenceman who can play in every situation.

Correct me if I’m wrong, but the Habs have never had one of those coming off an ELC, and so this situation has actually never arisen before. Comparing where PK is at now to where Price and Patches were after their ELC’s is ludicrous. PK is far more established than either of them were. Plus it’s not like there is no precedent, plenty of teams sign kids to long term deals at PK’s age, if they’re really good. I think PK is really good. Maybe the Habs don’t.

Yep. You’re probably right. Bergie is trying to set precedent. I just don’t think it’s the right one. PK is too valuable to fit in that box and he knows (and so does his agent). In the meantime, we’re setting ourselves up nicely for the Seth Jones draft.

Comparing defencemen now to who they were after their own entry level deals would be more fair.

And just like Subban, many of the guys on that list looked like they were going to develop into top-10 defencemen. And most of them didn’t get those salaries until they were giving up years of their UFA status.

I don’t blame Subban for wanting to get paid. Most of this “love of the game” stuff is just pure BS anyways. He wants dough now in case he gets injured.

I also don’t blame Bergevin for refusing to bet the house on a player who isn’t where he needs to be as a hockey player yet.

But I particularly love that they’ve got Subban ahead of Ryan Suter and Alexander Edler. That right there suggests that they probably haven’t watched a lot of Nashville Predators or Vancouver Canucks games. At the VERY least, it is a wash, and I think many would agree that both those guys remain ahead of Subban as hockey players.

But seriously, Galchenyuk was pretty bad last night, he seemed invisible and dare I say soft and gutless. One thing that really stood out for me was when he was bumped by a leaf forward in between whistles and acted like nothing happened, he could have at least shoved the guy back or facewashed him or something but he just skated away like a Sedin.

I thought he acquitted himself quite well. Didn’t put the team in as much trouble as some guys like Cole and DD, which is good considering the many other elements around him collapsing.

Oh, and the guy who bumped him after the whistle was Komarov. Galchenyuk didn’t retaliate, but the way he looked at Komarov after was an 18 year old looking down at a 26 year old both figuratively and literally.

Actually, even though it’s an emotional game, I would feel gutless roughing up an 18 year old rookie after the whistle if I were his senior by 8 years.

Pens 6 Rags 3 with less than 2min. Wild 1 Stars 0 after 2. Nucks1 Oilers 0 after 1. Hey, I like this Free NHL package. They should leave it free for the rest of the Season after what they put us through ,Greedy Basta*ds.

Watching those videos, was so neat. He (Kovelev) definetly has some skill. I used to love watching him when he was on the power play. He used snipe the puck and score. I miss having him on the Canadiens. Looks like the Canadiens are a long way from being a top 8 team, from what I seen last night.

Hey Neuman, I coached north of Kingson for 7 years in the Inter City League. We taught the Kids to drop the Mitts and not spear.Friday night Midget games were so Lively ,the local OPP detatchment was on Permanent Standby.Just good old fun amigo!

Haha thanks guys.
Just did that one because that lafs dude gona get me tickets for one of the game this year.
As some of you know im blind so i said yess to that guy Because I want The real experience of going to the game

Hey guys hows it going. Well I lost the stupid bet and will be Wearing a lafs jersey tomorrow. 1 stupid question fore every one. Will I be still considered as a true HABS fan if i wear the lafs jersey tomorrow???
I guess im still a true fan it’s only a bet after all But want to hear your answers. And as for last night to me the best line was the 4th line last night. But its only 1 game.
Gallchenyuk Wasn’t too bad for his first game.
Thanks in in advance if I get any responses

You are still a fan indeed HabsSwag! Just be thankful your bet only involved having to do that, I wish that was the worst of consequences for some of the bets I have made in my life. But those stories shall remain sealed.

Agree, would love to see a big time trade subban, kaberle, weber, dd for getzlaf and perry or bring in crosby or ovechkin, we need guys who can play and score im sick and tired of this victim mentality, as a matter of fact we need a character guy like ray lewis in our locker

Being a team player doesnt really exist nowadays. The team is not that loyal to the player and vice versa. Its a business now, the team is a big business and the players are each small businesses, and the only party that gets emotionally attached is the fan.

[Disclaimer]: I’m a hockey fan. I care about the habs, but probably not as much as you.

The agent never calls the shots, he works for the player. Agents recommend, players decide. That’s the way it works. You can’t blame this on the agent; Bergevin or PK yes but not the agent.

If PK doesn’t sign and loses the entire year, what then? Can missing an entire season at this juncture in his career increase his value? It sounds like a stupid move on his part to me, why would anyone want a guy that would miss an entire season because a 300 or 400% raise wasn’t good enough.

Do you let Jean Guy Talbot walk with Donny Marshall and phil Goyette and what about Claude Provost who is home holding out. What about Gilles Trembly, how do they make room for him and Billy Hicke and Bobby Rouseau.

Who do you keep, who do you get rid of. I long for the days when players played and money was never mentioned….simple times.
wjc

Are you deliberately missing the point. I am talking about how simple sports were back then. How it was an escape. Things were pretty good back in the late 50’s and early 60’s…low unemployment, one wage earner only.

Geez why do you mention leaded gasoline, improvements were made. Air was cleaner back then, water purer, kids played outside, well some did.

Just saying players played, owners owned, fans cheered and you knew the Canadien players would spend their careers playing for the habs, unless a trade happend. Better system for the fans on there 24 inch black and white televisions.

Now some think yapping about money is interesting and not just a little but Millions of dollars. The pendalum swung to far to fast and it is sickening.

If you enjoy the state of affairs in sport, then enjoy away, it is your money and your leisure time. Just do not expect to ever get back to glory days anytime too soon.

Most likely overpaid? If ever a society had a completely screwed up sense of the worth of certain individuals it is this one. It’s our own version of the decline and fall of the Roman Empire. Old guys that could once push a puck into a square cage with mesh in the back make 10 or 15 times what our Prime Minister makes (okay, maybe that’s a bad example). Teachers make a pittance compared to hockey players, as do doctors, nurses, firemen, policemen, soldiers, hydro workers and a host of other folks that do things that are way more important in everyday life. It’s ridiculous.

And so we’re supposed to feel some sympathy for PK Subban who if he took 3 million dollars a year from the Habs would make more in one year than most people make doing more important stuff do in a lifetime? But 3 million is not good enough for PK. He wants 6. Boy, I sure hope he doesn’t fall down the stairs tomorrow morning, break his back and end up with nothing, nada, nil, zip, zero and a lifetime of regrets.

I know you are being sarcastic but I do miss the times when you could kick the sh!# out of someone who was begging for it. My last drunk fight .. in NAPANEE… of all places. Maybe was with Ian… he lives near Napanee I think… who knows!

“Air was cleaner back then, water purer, kids played outside, well some did.”

Wow that made me laugh. Do you understand that the reason why our air is so bad these days is because in those good old days of yore, we did whatever we wanted with no understanding of the consequences? They didn’t even know what air quality was back then! We have been spewing carbon into the air for centuries and we are finally, now, at a day and age where we understand the damage that it is causing.

Same deal with hockey players. They played for peanuts back then, yeah. But they also got treated like dirt and were discarded like beer cans when they were no longer of use. The public didn’t care because they didn’t want to know about the business side of it, they were happy enough watching the games.

Society has evolved. People want to know the ins and outs now. They want to know if it’s fair, what the consequences are. You talk about things being better back then, but they weren’t. There was just more ignorance.

Is that the kind of world you long for, one where everything appears great just because nobody asks any questions? If so, I feel sorry for you.

Ah, my 1960s childhood, fishing for mutant rock bass in the Chateauguay River, celebrating my grandfather’s 65th (3 months before he died of cancer) because no man in my working class family had lived that long before, hitting the aerosol deodorant (who gives a crap about New Zealand anyway…).
My grandfather had a Habs player living upstairs in a flat beside a lumberyard in Ville Emard in the Depression – he’d get off the streetcar and recount details of the game for quarts of beer, which the local guys would chip in and buy for him because he couldn’t afford to buy many after game Dow Ales.
Those were the days. The owners raked it in and everyone else went back home to coldwater flats and short lives. The air was full of coal and leaded gas, the water was full of mercury and you could still buy asbestos oven mitts.

While I despise both the Patriots and Ravens, it is hard to not marvel at the dissection of opponents defence which Belichick and Brady are capable of. They are indeed the class of the AFC which I find very difficult to say.

Find myself torn on the subject of Kovalev. While I know and understand it is time for this franchise to turn the page on recent past, our top 6/9 forwards are lacking in finishing ability. This becomes more evident when games go to shootout.

While Kovy is the ultimate enigma, I dont think he ever enjoyed playing hockey in the NHL anywhere else as much as for the Habs.

“In 2009, then Canadiens’ general manager Bob Gainey offered Kovalev a contract. He was to be the next captain of the Habs. The forward and his agent played hardball and, so as to not miss out on acquiring the necessary right wing the Canadiens needed, Gainey moved on.”

Yep. He can buyout Kabs at the end of the year and maybe offload Cole or Gio to a contender if he wants a true rebuild. There are options, but you’re probably right… He can’t get Gally this year if he signs PK to a big deal.

I say tough luck. Send Gally back down after the initial look . He’ll be well coached and can play major minutes. Then you ink PK to a long term deal. We’re not winning the cup either way, so might as well get a happy top Dman for 8 years.

HOW COULD SO MANY PEOPLE MISS THE POINT. Just stick together and love the money grubbing hockey of today.

The game you can’t go to because you have been priced out.

The game the players play for millions of dollars and feel entitled

The point wasn’t how wonderful the times were, it was you could go to a hockey game and enjoy it for what it was.

Just because you bozo’s have each others backs does not make you right, just stupid.

I would bet all you know about that era is what you read somewhere. Of course players making more is good and owners exploited players.

The only one’s being exploited now are the so called fans.

You pay and pay and pay and pay and pay ….and you just don’t get that much back.

The game was not perfect and it had to be improved and of course the players did need to come up….but it has gone to far.

In 50 years people will look at these days of lost jobs, people falling over with heart attacks because of horrible diets and over paid spoiled sports hero’s and wonder what the hell that was all about.

You could not afford to keep a team like the Canadiens had in the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s because they would demand too much money.

So the glory days are over and the system that is in place says you will win one Stanley cup in the next 20 years, because to think otherwise is not being touch with reality.

But, what is reality on a sight filled with ‘catfish’ pretenders with 80% of you with no hope and you are too busy worrying about a piece of frozen rubber that does not improve your lot one bit.

Maybe Coyotes. But the first 3 teams should make the postseason. Rangers & Flyers played some quality opponents: Bruins & Penguins, Penguins & Sabres.
Betcha none of those teams would be 0-2 if they faced Habs to start the season

He is still playing under the old contract at $1.75 million. This is also his 5th season and he will make the $4 million in his 6th. Based on his numbers last season, he probably could have received more money if you compare him to other players around the league with similar numbers. I think Price is more valuable to the Habs abd he is making $5.5 this season then 5.75, 6.75, then 7. Maybe Subban should take a deal that starts at $4 million this season, then if he hits certain criteria goes to $5, then $6 for another 3 seasons. Bergevin could add bonuses for the first 2 years that would kick him up to $5 million the first season and $6 million in the second. There is a fair deal to be made.

The hold up could be that with the cap coming down next season, and having 5 RFA’s, including Desharnais, they will have to shuffle some players around. Kaberle should be gone one way or the other, but then you have to evaluate Markov and Bourque! Maybe they trade Kaberle and Bourque if they can get some takers and buy out Markov with the last amnesty buyout. If Galchenyuk and Gallagher prove to be ready the youth mouvement sooner might be for the best. Boullion and Armstrong will be off the books but at their salaries, they will be replaced with someone making around the same. Budaj will also be a UFA

As MB knows, it does not take long to hit cap, then what? Sell off and sink, so what he does today, effects tomorrow big time. Soon it will be Galchenyuk after the big money and Tinordi, Belieau etc. etc.

You see what I mean about having too many good players, and having to move them because you run out of ‘cap room’.

What you do today, effects tomorrow, because team mates are watching to see if you fold and then they want their due.

The only RFA looking at a raise is DD. And we still have to watch this season get played out. Bourque was looking good Saturday night and I think Detroit might take Markov. The real roadblock is Kabs. And I don’t know how they’re going to move him unless they sign PK to insulate him. Its a catch-22.

What’s that saying? Figures never lie and liars never figure. Hockey has so many intangibles that any single statistic can’t adequately capture the sum of the
whole. Then there is the bias measuring where we see some stats often recorded incorrectly.